


In Totidem Verbis

by in_the_bottle



Series: Fate's Decree [2]
Category: Suits (TV)
Genre: AU, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-21
Updated: 2012-08-21
Packaged: 2017-11-12 14:29:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/492195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/in_the_bottle/pseuds/in_the_bottle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harvey has never been a fan of surprises, Mike is filled with nothing but surprises, and Donna just wants to know what the hell is going on with Harvey.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In Totidem Verbis

**Author's Note:**

> Writing this piece has been a bit of a trip down memory lane for me which I'm not sure whether it's a good thing or not. Some of the cases mentioned in the fic are either inspired by or based on real life events, see if you can spot them. ;) Once again, many thanks to [](http://scribewraith.dreamwidth.org/profile)[**scribewraith**](http://scribewraith.dreamwidth.org/) and [](http://www.dreamwidth.org/profile?user=slashybits)[**slashybits**](http://www.dreamwidth.org/profile?user=slashybits) for the beta reading, and [](http://lefaym.dreamwidth.org/profile)[](http://lefaym.dreamwidth.org/)**lefaym** for having the patience to put up with me while I go on and on and on about this AU.

Harvey Specter didn't like surprises. Experience has taught Harvey that surprises are usually unpleasant at the very least, and disaster at worst. Like a surprise in court when a client decided that he knew better and didn't inform Harvey of a crucial piece of information that end up making him look like an idiot. Or that memorable occasion when his parents decided to pay him a surprise visit the week before his college graduation.

"I did not raise a homosexual son!" Harvey's father had snarled at him after catching Harvey and his male roommate literally with their pants down.

"What happened Harvey? You were dating Lisa in your freshman year. Was it something she did that made you this way?" His mum asked in between sobs.

"Lisa didn't turn me gay! I'm not gay, I'm bi!" Harvey had yelled back at his parents, not caring about the thin walls in his crappy student apartment.

"I'm not sure which is worse, a homosexual or a whore!" His father's angry words felt like a physical punch in Harvey's gut and he simply could not reconcile the man standing before him with the loving father who always had time for a game of catch and turned up to every baseball game he ever played since he was six.

"Gordon!" His mother gasped, shocked at her husband's words. "I'm sure it was just youthful experimentation. Harvey wouldn't do it again, would you, Harvey?"

Harvey had looked at his mother's teary expression and then to his father's angry but expectant face. Until this day, Harvey wasn't sure what made him said what he said.

"It's not youthful experimentation. I like women, and I like men. This is the 90s, not the dark ages where you seemed to be living."

Harvey's mother had actually slapped him while his father exploded and disowned him on the spot. For some reason, he'd thought they would eventually calm down and they could maybe work things through. That hope was dashed three months later when he got home from his third week on the job as a mailroom clerk at _Pearson Hardman_ , to find boxes of his various belongings from home waiting for him at his apartment. A note from his brother Charles to say that he'd rescued everything before their father could throw them out.

Suffice to say, surprises and Harvey never really got along, at least not until life decided to throw a Dr Michael (Mike) Ross into his life.

Since the moment they met, Mike had been one surprise after another, keeping Harvey on his toes. What Harvey initially thought would have been the worse night of his life was turned on its head the moment Mike quoted Doogie Howser. And for the next two hours that Harvey was at the hospital, he actually had fun. Mike recognised every single one of Harvey's movie references and quotes including an obscure reference from _Plan 9 From Outer Space_ (he even added a really bad impersonation of Bela Lugosi). The fact that Mike had not recognised _Star Trek_ was clearly a sign of the deterioration of the American education system.

So Harvey sought to remedy that by sending Mike the complete box set of the original series and as a bonus, he threw in all the movies as well.

Harvey couldn't help but felt an odd sense of disappointment when he didn't hear back from the young doctor. Being who he was, Harvey buried that feeling and got on with life, putting Mike Ross out of his mind.

* * *

Harvey noticed the coffee shop around the corner from where Ray had dropped him off earlier for his meeting with the in-house lawyer for _Johnston & Lipman_; a mid-size IT consulting business with a very large legal problem. With a name like The _Snail In The Bottle_ , Harvey wondered why the owner had decided to open the coffee shop in a predominately residential area of Upper West Side instead of Midtown where a large number of legal firms were located. They would have made a killing just selling to the lunch crowd from the firms.

The meeting ran much longer than Harvey had anticipated and by the time it was finished, Harvey was starving. Walking out of _Johnston & Lipman_, Harvey found himself drawn to the ordinary looking coffee shop with the unusual name. Opening the door, Harvey was completely unprepared when someone else on his way out literally slammed into him. The box the other man was holding fell to the ground.

With his hand still on the door handle, Harvey quickly regained his balance and had a good look at the other person.

"Ah, Dr Howser, fancy meeting you here," Harvey said. He looked down at the overturned box of doughnuts and added: "I thought doctors were supposed to eat healthy?"

When Mike had declared himself a genius at the hospital, Harvey had assumed he was merely playing along with the whole Doogie Howser persona. To learn that Mike actually had a full scholarship to Harvard Law that he turned down, and then decided to sit the New York Bar exam because he was _bored_ over summer break was, well, surprising.

By the end of the afternoon, Harvey was discovering that he didn't really mind being surprised by Mike Ross. As a matter of fact, he rather enjoyed the experience.

"Who is it you've been texting the whole day?" Donna asked. "Don't think I haven't noticed."

"None of your business," Harvey replied, carefully schooling his expression, though he had a feeling that Donna could probably see through it.

"Oooohhh.... personal then." There was a speculative look in her eyes that experience had taught Harvey to be wary of.

"None of your business," Harvey repeated. "And where's the precedent research for Richardson's file?"

"Fine. You know I'll find out eventually. And Harold's still working on it."

"It's been two days! I needed that research _yesterday_. Why did we hire him?" Harvey moaned.

"Because he was the only one who showed any personality at all out of the whole lot of cardboard cutouts? Even if it's in a rather adorable, pathetically sad and too ready to please way."

"It's all your fault," Harvey said, pointing his pen at Donna.

"He's like a labrador puppy," Donna declared, as though that was somehow justification for her picking Harold out of the bunch of interviewees. When Harvey frowned at her in question, she continued. "All blond and eager?"

"He can't be that eager when I the research I need is still nowhere in sight. Can you go get it for me? I'm afraid I'm going do something that might get the firm sued if I see him now."

Donna let out a sigh. "Fine."

Once Donna left his office, Harvey sent a text to Mike, who of course only reminded him that he was the one who hired Harold in the first place.

* * *

The ten months he spent working at _Pearson Hardman_ 's mailroom did nothing to prepare Harvey for the reality of Harvard Law. Sure, there were arrogant dickheads and spoiled rich brats as expected, but the classes were more challenging than anything Harvey had done before. Undergrad at NYU was a walk in the park in comparison.

"So, this is what being thrown into the deep end feels like," Harvey mumbled to himself at the library. Three days in and here he was, staring blankly at the two feet high stack of textbooks and law review journals in front of him, and they were only for Torts. "Where the hell do I even _start_?"

Harvey was startled when someone actually answered him. "Start with the textbooks. They'll give you a broad idea of the topic in question. Once you have a basic understanding of what it's all about, go on to the journals and specific cases."

"Uh, thanks," Harvey said, looking at the girl sitting two seats away from him, her own stack of books and notes in front of her. As far as Harvey could tell, she hadn't even looked up from her notes. "I'm Harvey Specter."

"Dana Scott, but everyone calls me Scotty," the girl replied, finally looking up.

Harvey resisted the urge to make a _Star Trek_ joke, because even only after one and a half week on campus, he knew better than to out himself as a fan. Harvey had no desire to be labeled as 'nerd' for the rest of his legal career.

"Thank for the tip," Harvey said instead.

"You're in Professor Malkin's Torts class, aren't you? I think I saw you yesterday," Scotty asked.

"Yeah. Do you happen to know what on Earth he was going on about yesterday?" Harvey asked. "The speed he talked and the way he tripped over his own words, I'm not even sure he was even speaking English half the time, to be honest."

"Why do you think I'm in here with my own pile of books?" Scotty laughed, and Harvey's breath caught in his throat as her luscious dark curls falls across her face. "Maybe we should compare notes. That way, there's a chance that between the two of us, we could get the full picture."

"Good idea."

It took them two study sessions for Harvey to wind up in Scotty's bed, which developed into a habit that lasted half a lifetime.

* * *

Harvey was fully aware of his professional and personal reputations (ruthless in both instances), what the majority of the world didn't know was the fact that he was also a highly ethical and moral person. And fair, most of the time. Despite his profession and reputation, only a select few knew there were lines Harvey would never cross, and until Scotty stormed back into his life with the Jones-Vega merger, he had never crossed the 'sleep with partnered person' line.

 _She crossed the line, not you_. Mike's text had read. Harvey wasn't even sure why he had told Mike about Scotty when he hadn't even spoke to Donna or Jessica, two of his oldest friends, for the lack of a better word.

 _It'd be like blaming the victim of a con artist._ The second message from Mike came through less than a minute after the first.

It was the first time Harvey wondered why the words of a young doctor he'd only met twice in person had the ability to put him at ease.

 _Not quite sure about the comparison, but thanks._ Harvey replied.

_I aim to please. :-) Also, in paperwork hell. Your moral crisis is more interesting than intern review reports. Standard of medical school = gone to hell._

_With the paperwork?_ Harvey asked, amused in spite of the aforementioned moral crisis.

 _Haha. You're a pistol, a real funny guy._ And with a simple reference to _Goodfellas_ , Harvey's mood was lifted.

"How do you do that?" Harvey muttered to himself, finishing the last bit of scotch in the decanter.

Mike didn't know Harvey Specter - the lawyer, not beyond the glimpses that inevitably slipped through in their interactions so far, in what Mike had coined his 'asshole moments'. Harvey had indulged in his love of sport and vinyl collection as those were seen as more mainstream and acceptable than his other interests. It was bullshit of course, but that was what clients expected and it was an image Harvey had cultivated for years.

With Mike though, even in the short time they've known each other, Harvey found himself in a rare position of having no need to pretend, the text messages he'd sent to Mike was evident of that. The Harvey Mike knew was the closet _Star Trek_ geek and movie tragic; Mike wasn't a client or anyone Harvey need to impressed for the sake of his career. There was no professional facade that underpinned his interactions with Donna and Jessica, no expectations beyond what they were doing, and Harvey honestly could not remember the last time he just relaxed and talked to someone, knowing that he wasn't being judged. Their worlds were so different and separate that Harvey had somehow, without noticing it, let his guard down with Mike without fear that any moments of weakness would travel the gossip vine back to an opposing counsel who would not hesitate to take advantage. The fact that Mike seems to share his love for movies and actually gets Harvey's references is just a bonus.

Looking at his watch, Harvey decided that it was too late to be contemplating the nature of Mike Ross and went to bed instead.

The next morning, Harvey could feel Donna's eyes on him as he made his way to his office. He could still feel her watching him even as he settled in for the morning, reviewing Harold's draft of a leasing contract.

"What?" Harvey finally snapped an hour later, still making changes in the margins of the contract. Harvey had to admit, it wasn't a bad first effort for a rookie associate, if only he could stop being so insecure.

"You're not in a bad mood," Donna's voice came via the speakerphone.

Harvey rolled his eyes. "Get in here," he said, and as expected, Donna was already seated in the chair in front of his desk when he looked up. There were days where Harvey could've sworn Donna had invented the personal transporter; her ability to appear and disappear really couldn't be explained otherwise.

"Why would I be in a bad mood?"

"Well, after that thing with Scotty yesterday..." Donna trailed off.

"We won, end of story," Harvey pretended to misunderstood Donna even though they both knew which 'thing' she was really referring to. Even after so many years, Harvey still could not work out how or where Donna got her information from.

"Not that thing, the _other_ thing."

"I'm a big boy. I got over it," Harvey replied, hoping that it was enough to satisfy Donna's curiosity.

"Overnight?"

"A good night's sleep does wonders. Now go back to work and stop staring at me. It's creepy."

"You know I'll find out," Donna narrowed her eyes at him even as she stood up and headed back out of Harvey's office.

"There's nothing to find!" Harvey yelled out at her.

"I'll be the judge of that!" Donna yelled back.

Harvey wasn't sure why he didn't tell Donna about Mike. He knew Donna could be discreet, but whatever it was he was doing with Mike, it felt private and Harvey wanted to keep it to himself.

Just until he figured out where Dr Mike Ross fit into his life.

* * *

Her name was Sasha Giuliana, an actress/model (Harvey wasn't too sure and didn't really bother clarifying) who happened to take the seat next to him at the bar. Harvey didn't make it a habit to drink alone, but the client dinner had continued onto drinks and Harvey was left to finish his Scotch when Dominic Russo left five minutes ago.

A flirtatious grin, two drinks and a cab ride later, they were at Harvey's place.

"Isn't it dangerous?" Sasha asked, referring to the glass elevator that deposited them right in the middle of Harvey's living room.

"'In Sicily, women are more dangerous than shotguns.'" Harvey replied.

"What?" Sasha asked in obvious confusion even as she moved in to kiss Harvey.

"Nothing, never mind," Harvey said as they made their way to the bedroom. He had to wonder how could she not get the reference to _Godfather_ given her Sicilian last name and profession as an actress.

"You're funny," she replied, slipping her hand into his half undone pants.

 _Mike would've got the reference_ , Harvey found himself thinking, and then froze.

"Is something wrong?" Sasha asked, noticing his hesitation.

"What? No, I just remembered something about work," Harvey mentally slapped himself for coming up with such a lame excuse, but the sudden realisation that he'd rather have Mike here with him now, instead of the voluptuous and Victoria Secret look-a-like actress/model, had thrown him completely off his game.

The next thing Harvey knew, his left cheek exploded in pain and he had on his hands a rather dangerous scorned woman.

Five minutes and two text messages later, Harvey sat alone in bed, wondering what the fuck Mike Ross had done to him.

For the rest of the week, Harvey alternated between burying himself with work trying not to think about Mike and being completely distracted thinking about Mike. By the time the weekend rolled around, Harvey was just thankful that no one seemed to have noticed his lapses. Whatever it was, this... _thing_ he had going on with Mike, it was getting out of hand.

 _Its called an infatuation; a crush_ , said a small voice in his head. Only, that was utterly ridiculous. He was Harvey Specter, Senior Partner at _Pearson Hardman_ , and the best closer in New York; he didn't have crushes. Especially not on young, overworked, genius ER doctors with the tendency to make obscure television and movie references and had no fashion sense whatsoever.

It was Sunday night before Harvey finally admitted defeat and asked Mike out.

"Only you're too chicken shit to let him know it's a date," Harvey said to the empty living room and resisted the urge to bang his head against the nearest solid surface. "What am I doing?"

This was completely unlike him at all. Harvey had never been afraid to go after what he wanted. On the other hand, there had never been anyone whom he was afraid to lose. The friendship he and Mike have developed in the short time they have known each other had somehow grown to be incredibly important to Harvey, something he was unwilling to risk.

* * *

"And Mr Sparks, what exactly do you want us to do about it?" Harvey asked the elder man in his mid-70s seated before him, struggling to maintain his composure. He was a HLS student and would not humiliate himself in front of a client.

"I just want him to get that dog of his under control and pay the costs of all the work I've done to keep the baby rabbit alive without its mother."

"Right. Okay. I think I've got a pretty good understanding of your problem. I'll just have to consult my superior and we'll see if we can help you."

"Yeah, you do that, young man."

With that, Harvey fled the small interview room of the legal service centre. The moment the door to the staff area was safely shut behind him and he was back in the relatively private confines of the student work area, Harvey burst into laughter.

"What's so funny?" Scotty asked, looking up from her file. They had just finished their first year and HLS and have both secured summer placements with the legal clinic attached to the law school.

"This guy I'm seeing right now. He wants to sue his neighbour," Harvey said, still trying to get his laughter under control.

"What's so funny about that?" Scotty frowned.

"For his bunny rabbit."

"What?"

"His baby bunny rabbit. Who is now depressed because it witnessed the neighbour's poodle terrorize its mother so much that mummy bunny rabbit leap out of the garden, onto the open road, and committed bunny suicide ala road kill."

Scotty blinked at him. "You just made that up," she accused.

Harvey's response was to pass her Mr Sparks's file.

"Oh. My. God," exclaimed Scotty as she read through Harvey's interview notes and the summary of complaint on the general file opening form Mr Sparks had completed.

"Something amusing, Mr Specter, Ms Scott?"

Harvey turned around to find Jacinta Ingram, the supervising partner at the legal service centre standing at the entry to the student work area. She was a bit like the blonde version of Jessica, only she didn't worry that much about billable hours and was more focused on upholding their client's rights. Janice held out her hand expectantly and Scotty quickly passed the file over.

Jacinta flipped through it, eyes scanning over Harvey's file notes, and Harvey noticed a small grin slowly appearing on her face. She closed the file after a couple of minutes and handed it back to Harvey.

"Unfortunately, we will not be able to help Mr Sparks to recover any damages on behalf of his rabbit. Not when there aren't witnesses or documented evidence of any wrongdoing by the poodle or its owner."

Harvey nodded. "It'll be a case of he says/she says," he added.

"Precisely. And in claims like this, what you need is strong evidence. Now, head back out there and give Mr Sparks the bad news. We don't keep clients waiting longer than necessary."

"Yes, ma'am."

Harvey had always remembered Mr Sparks fondly. The elderly man had been disappointed by the news that he had no case against his neighbour, but he had been pleasant and thanked Harvey for taking his time to listen.

When Harvey first started at _Pearson Hardman_ as a lateral associate from the DA's office, Jessica had piled his plate full of pro-bono cases. He didn't mind the civil cases, the tenants taking their landlord bullies to court, or helping the elderly sort out some mistake in their pension and such. These were the people that genuinely needed help to maneuver through the bureaucratic nightmare that is the legal system. "Don't get emotionally involved. You need to establish some professional distance between you and the client or you will never be the best advocate you can be," Jessica's words of wisdom.

The advice made sense, and Harvey took it to heart. Being the best that he could be was a career and life goal he was willing to sacrifice a lot for.

More often than not, he found himself in court more frequently than the other associates purely because of his stint as an ADA, defending people he would've previously prosecuted.

"You need to know how to work for both sides, Harvey," Jessica had said.

And those were the cases he hated. It was a battle between the logical and analytical part of his brain and the instincts that was honed and drilled into him at the DA's office that was screaming at him that these scumbags are 'guilty guilty GUILTY!', and where the same people he was trying to help lied to him and to the court and later blamed Harvey and the firm for their case going down the toilet.

"You said you could get me joint custody of my kids!" Johnston was screaming at Harvey right in the middle of the hallway at the family court on one memorable occasion. "I knew I should've paid for a proper lawyer!"

"That was before you forget to mention to me the little fact that you're _addicted to pain killers!_ " It was unprofessional, and totally unbecoming of a gentleman, but Harvey has had _enough_ of this guy. "You're lucky that I managed to get them to keep your weekend visitation rights!"

"You expect me to be thankful for that?!"

"Considering the fact that the judge was going to go with your ex's idea and have you removed from your kids' life as an unfit parent, yes, I expect something a little more than contempt!"

"That so? Fine, you're fired!" Johnston yelled.

"Good, now I can get back to more important things waiting for me at the office, like lunch. Oh, and just so you know, you couldn't _afford_ my hourly rates."

Jessica had only looked at Harvey in dismay when he told her what happened. Instead of the verbal dress down Harvey expected, Jessica merely handed him a new merger file and from then onwards, his pro-bono work load was reduced to a tenth of its previous level. His billable hours did go through the roof and Harvey considered it a win.

* * *

"Sorry I'm late. I don't know why Jessica keeps dumping all these pro-bono cases on me," Harvey apologised as he sat down opposite Mike who was already halfway through his meal.

They were back at _The Snail_ , it was not Harvey's style in general to end up at the same place repeatedly on dates, he was more likely to be at a different fancy restaurant on every date, and a small neighbourhood cafe normally wouldn't even register. Harvey blamed it on the sinfully addictive custard doughnuts and Mike. On the other hand, nothing with Mike had ever gone the way relationships usually do for Harvey, and the strangest thing was it was all pretty much effortless in how it all just fitted into Harvey's life.

"No problem. Work getting in the way of having a life, I know all about that." Mike replied, shrugging off Harvey's apology. "I was starving, so I ordered first."

"Should've asked you to get me something so I didn't have to wait," Harvey said. "I spent the whole morning trying to clean up the mess Harold made on this case."

"That's what you get for making someone else to do your work," Mike teased. "What exactly do you have against pro-bono cases anyway?" Mike asked, munching on a shoe string fry.

"I don't have anything against pro-bono cases. As a matter of fact, I think they're essential in addressing the inequality of access to our legal system. I just prefer to be the one not working on them."

"Think you're too good for the masses?" there was something in Mike's tone, a slight disapproval that Harvey had not seen from Mike before. Of course Mike would disapprove, his job, his life was all about helping people and saving lives. Mike's world was as opposite to Harvey's as one could get.

"I've done my share of pro-bono matters. I've been doing them since I was in law school, and during my time as an ADA, I've helped put away more dirt-bags than I care to count. But it gets to a point in your career where instead of feeling as though you've done good and helped people, you feel taken advantage of and unappreciated. I decided that I didn't want to feel that way," Harvey had never before felt the need to justify himself the way he just did, and it was then he realised that Mike's opinion of Harvey as a man mattered to him. "You could say that I got burnt out," he shrugged, hoping he hadn't come across as too defensive.

Mike was silent for a moment, sipping his latte as he contemplated what Harvey said. "I guess I can see where you're coming from," he finally said, and Harvey felt himself relax. Mike then proceeded to tell him a story about how a mother had basically hurled abuse at him and all the nurses while Mike was trying to save her daughter from dying from a complicated case of bacterial meningitis.

"There are days where you get so frustrated by the system and/or the people that you just want to say 'fuck it' and give up. There's a reason why emergency medicine has one of the highest burn out rates," Mike finished.

"Why are you doing it then?"

"Because of the times you manage to make a difference, to save someone's life. Those days make it all worthwhile." Mike paused for a moment before flashing Harvey a grin. "Besides, having someone's life in your hands, sometimes quite literally, is a bit of a rush."

"And they say _I_ have an ego. You, my friend," Harvey replied, smiling. "Have a God Complex."

"Nah, that's the surgeons. I'm just a minor deity," Mike gave him a cheeky wink.

And Harvey had to remind himself to breathe.

* * *

"What's this?" Donna stood in front of Harvey's desk, waving a print out of what appeared to be his appointment diary for the month.

"My appointment calendar?" Harvey said, not sure what the hell Donna was up to.

"Yes, it is. Do you notice something wrong with it?" Donna slapped the piece of paper onto Harvey's desk.

Harvey picked it up and gave it a quick glance, not noticing anything unusual.

"Everything seems fine."

"Fine? It's not fine!" Donna snatched the paper out of Harvey's hands and pointed to the two-hour block Harvey had marked out for between 10:30am to 12:30pm on a Wednesday the week after. "What is this?" Donna demanded.

"Time I'm not available."

"Time that you were available for yesterday."

"Something came up," Harvey shrugged.

"Don't think I haven't noticed. This isn't the first time you've done this. For a day every month in the last three-month, you've marked out a two hour, sometimes three hour time slot. No notes in there except 'unavailable'. Always on a different day, and different time. This," Donna jiggled the paper in her hands. "This is the fourth month you're doing it."

"Donna – " Harvey stopped when Donna held out a finger to him in the universal sign of 'stop talking'. She's got him well trained.

"I've matched the date and time to your credit card charges, and they're all for this place called _Snail In The Bottle_ , and every time you get back, you'll be on your cell, not talking, but texting."

"You went through my personal credit card statement?!" Harvey asked, incredulous. Then he remembered who he was talking to. "What am I saying, of course you did."

"You've been hiding things from me and generally acting like a teenage girl with her BFF and unlimited text on her cell plan, what else was I supposed to do?" Donna retorted.

"I do have unlimited text on my cell plan."

"Exactly! What is it? Did Scotty break your brain and you're now seeing a married woman and have to keep your torrid affairs a secret? Because text messaging really isn't the best way to keep in touch if that's what you're doing."

"What on earth are you talking about, Donna?"

"Not a married woman?"

"No! It's just a friend with a very hectic schedule and we catch up whenever he has some time off."

Donna narrowed her eyes at Harvey, clearly thinking that there was more to the story than Harvey was letting her in on. She was right, of course, but Harvey wasn't about to let her know.

"A friend," Donna repeated disbelievingly. "You don't have friends. You have colleagues, acquaintances, enemies, clients, old flames, new flames, Ray, your brother, Jessica, and me," Donna counted off her list on her fingers in a sing-song like voice. "So, who is this new person in your life that I know absolutely nothing about? A situation which, by the way, I plan to remedy immediately."

Harvey had never been more relieved that his phone chose that precise moment to ring. He snatched it off its cradle and gave Donna a helpless look and answered the call. Of course, Harvey knew better than to think that Donna was going to give up that easily.

Harvey's downfall came the Friday after his fourth meeting (date) with Mike.

"So, this mystery guy is called Mike?" Donna asked, looking innocently at Harvey.

"How – "

"You were muttering under your breath about how 'Mike would've got it' after the puppy ran out of here with his tail between his legs." Harvey scowled at her. "Seriously though, I don't think anyone other than you could have gotten most of the random references you make," Donna's eyes widened in what looked to Harvey like some sudden realisation. "Oh my god, Mike is your alternate ego! He's your imaginary friend that lives in your head, that's why he'd get all those references!"

"Get out!" Harvey said, struggling not to laugh at Donna's overly dramatic antics. "Some of us have to actually bring in the bacon to pay your salary."

And somehow, in the weird and scary world that is Donna's mind, she took Harvey's lack of denial as fact that Mike was indeed a figment of his imagination. For the next couple of months, she would make jokes about his imaginary friend (only in his office and never in front of anyone else, thank god), and ignore Harvey when he insisted that Mike was real.

It got to the point where Harvey arrived at work one morning to find a business card for a Dr Patrick Mally, Psychiatrist, on his desk. Harvey had never quite worked out whether that was a joke or if Donna was really convinced that he was delusional.

On his sixth meeting (date) with Mike, Harvey almost had a heart attack.

"Harvey, what are we doing?" Mike had asked between bites of his doughnut.

"Having afternoon tea without the tea?" Harvey pretended not to understand what Mike was referring to, his mind whirling as he tried to come up with something. Harvey knew he should've asked Mike out properly after their first few meetings at _The Snail_ , after Harvey had been relatively certain that Mike would be open to the idea of something more than friendship, but he had enjoyed their time together so much that Harvey didn't want to risk losing it, no matter how remote that chance might have been.

It was ridiculous, the logical part of his mind knew that, but something else in him had held him back. He should've known sooner or later, Mike would pick up on Harvey's not so subtle flirting and he would ask questions.

When Mike finally asked the question: "Are we dating?" and Harvey saw no signs that the doctor might be on the verge of bolting but was in fact looking quite relaxed, Harvey managed to get his vocal chords to work and took the plunge, "Yes."

Their first kiss was right in front of _The Snail_ , on the footpath with Ray waiting for Harvey in the car and Mike running late for work. First kisses were supposed to be filled with uncertainties, nose bumps, false starts, and usually at least slightly awkward no matter how much experience either and both parties had on the subject of kissing. Harvey was practically an expert on the subject.

Of course, like everything that had to do with Mike, none of that applied when it came to him. The kiss had felt intimately familiar; maybe because Mike was familiar after six months of texting and non-dating dates, the faint taste of the latte that Harvey could taste on Mike as they explored each other's mouth brought to mind the scent of custard doughnuts and simple toasted sandwiches from _The Snail_ , the scent of hospital antiseptic that clung onto Mike's clothes from the long hours he spent at work, and something else that was uniquely Mike underneath it all.

Harvey didn't want to let go.

"I'm going to be late," Mike murmured against Harvey's lips, slightly breathless and hands still clutching onto Harvey's coat lapel, their foreheads touching.

"I know."

"Can't actually play hooky as much as I want to," Mike continued.

"I know."

"Are you going to use any other words?" This time there was an amused smile.

"Maybe," Harvey replied, returning the smile. It was quite likely that Mike had broken his brain with just a kiss. Though it was also satisfying to see that Mike seemed equally affected and was as reluctant to break the moment. "You actually have to let go of me to get to work."

"I know," Mike echoed Harvey's earlier words and held on for just a little longer.

Harvey's billable that afternoon was abysmal.

* * *

Mike's apartment was not what Harvey expected. It was in a much nicer part of town for one thing, and Mike's unit was the only unit on the top floor. If the place had been a high rise instead of a three story 1880s conversion, Harvey would've said Mike had the penthouse. It even had an actual functional fireplace of its own, from what Harvey could tell.

"How do you afford this place on a resident's salary?" Harvey asked, curious despite himself.

"Chief resident, and no student debt. Though I think I might've offended the gods of bowties or something because for the life of me, I cannot get this thing to stay on straight." The sight of a frustrated Mike tugging at the half done bowtie was pathetically cute. And Harvey had been right, Mike looked utterly delectable in the tux, which was not doing Harvey any favours at that particular moment considering the fact that they were going to be late if they don't leave soon.

Harvey snapped himself out of his musings about what he wanted to do to and with Mike and lent him a hand in defeating the god of bowties before rushing them out of the apartment.

Harvey had to admit, the look of utter surprise on Donna's face in discovering that Mike was very real, was one Harvey would treasure. However, one look around the ballroom and Harvey knew what everyone else was thinking; Harvey had found himself another pretty little thing to show off. Never mind that they had no idea who Mike was much less the fact that he was a bona fide genius and did more for society as a whole in one day than most of the people in the room would ever do in their entire lives.

Harvey knew Donna was going to make him pay for brushing her off, but the need to dispel everyone's notion that Mike was just a pretty face gained a sudden urgency. So Harvey made sure to introduce Mike with his full title and position and watched in satisfaction as eyes widened in surprise. It was time to let people know that it wasn't Mike's looks that caught Harvey's attention, but his quicksilver mind, his ability to keep up with and actually challenge Harvey. Mike seemed to have picked up on Harvey's mood and didn't say anything about his qualifications and position being flaunted around.

"Well, this is a surprise," Jessica said to Harvey as they watched the CEO of Pfizer Pharmaceutical and Mike engaged in a debate over the state of modern medicine over their main course.

"What? I told you I was bringing a plus one."

"I didn't expect..."

"Someone actually respectable?"

"Someone who actually seemed to know you well enough to call you on your bull shit," Jessica finished.

"Was that what you were talking about earlier?" Harvey asked.

"Among other things," Jessica replied, not giving anything else away. "And you have to admit, he's not your usual type."

"I have a type?" Harvey asked jokingly.

"Do you really want me to answer that?" Jessica gave Harvey a looked that said he should know better by now. "Time for the speeches."

"Joy," Harvey said dryly, taking a sip of his Merlot.

"Behave or I'll have you do it next year," Jessica threatened Harvey with a mischievous smile as she stood up and got up the stage.

When Mike's cell phone went off forty minutes later in the middle of dessert with an almost ear splitting screech (where on Earth did Mike find that god forsaken ring tone was what Harvey wanted to know, it almost sounded like a Ringwraith from _Lord of the Rings_ ), he was sure the entire ballroom had heard it. Mike dashed off to make his call and was back at their table a couple minutes later looking harried and concerned.

"I've got to go. Major train derailment and they're predicting casualties by the hundreds," he whispered into Harvey's ears, leaning in close.

"Get Ray to drive you," Harvey said.

"Yeah. I'll text you when I'm done," Mike replied before giving Harvey a quick kiss, completely unselfconscious despite their audience.

"Call me," Harvey said, it was past time that they actually speak to each other on the phone instead of texting like a couple of teenagers. "Even if it's three in the morning."

"It's probably going to be three in the afternoon, but the sentiment is noted," Mike gave him a small smile, made his excuses and dashed out of the ballroom. Harvey watched him leave.

"Harvey?" Jessica turned to him, clearly expecting him to fill her and the rest of the table in with a bit more details than Mike's rushed 'there's been an emergency and I have to head back to the hospital'.

"Hang on," Harvey took out his cell and opened the Reuter News App. The words in capital letters 'BREAKING NEWS: NEW YORK TRAIN DERAILMENT HUNDREDS INJURED & FEARED DEAD' blinked at him right at the top. There was a video link that Harvey tapped on, leaning over to Jessica so she could see. The video took a couple of minutes to load even on Harvey's state of the art smart phone, but the rough footage from the first on scene reporter showed the scale of the catastrophe.

"My god," Jessica exclaimed. She took the phone from Harvey and passed it around the table so the rest could see.

"This is why he had to go," Harvey explained. "And some of the people you're seeing on that screen right now will be alive tomorrow because of Mike."

If there was a hint of pride in Harvey's voice, it was only natural.

* * *

Charlie was the only one from his family who showed up at Harvey's graduation from Harvard. Harvey wasn't sure why he was expecting anything else different given that he hadn't spoken to his parents since they stormed out of his apartment in New York, and any attempts on his part over the last few years to rebuild their relationship had ended in disaster.

"Give them a bit more time, Harvey," Charlie had said that night in Harvey's apartment after ditching the rest of his graduating class in favour of somewhere private where they could talk.

"It's been four years, Charlie. Dad refuses to even acknowledge my existence!"

"You know how they are with their old fashioned thinking. It'll take a while to get around an entire lifetime of belief. I'm trying to get them to see sense, but it's slow going. At least trust me to talk them around," Charlie said, taking a sip of his beer.

"It's not you I don't trust, it's that I have more faith in Dad's stubbornness than your patience and stamina to wear them down."

Graduating from Harvard Law was supposed to be a happy occasion, something to celebrate, yet the disappointment of not having his parents around clouded everything. Harvey wasn't even sure why he cared, but seeing all his classmates with their family reminded him that this was the second graduation without his parents. Harvey had been too angry to care the first time round, but grad school and Harvard were different, he was proud of what he'd accomplished and Harvey couldn't help but want to share that with his parents.

"At least I'm here," Charlie said.

"And they have no idea do they?" Harvey asked wryly.

"Nope. They think I'm spending the week at Janice's place, and if they ever ask her, she'll say the same."

"The ever dutiful son and his fiancé, Dad must be so proud," Harvey really had not meant to sound as bitter as he did.

"Harvey – "

"Sorry, Charlie. You know I didn't mean it that way. I am proud of you. It's just..."

"Fucked up?"

"Yeah," Harvey sighed, wishing he didn't actually care about his parents. Wishing he could take back the words he'd uttered that night and instead taken the out his mother had offered him; that his father was ready to accept. No wonder his mum had slapped him, she had given him a way out of the situation and he had pretty much done the equivalent of throwing a glass of water in her face. "And I can't even show up at your graduation next month." Regret, Harvey had learned, was not something that sat comfortably with him.

"Come anyway."

"I don't want to cause a scene."

"It's my graduation, and I want my big brother there," Charlie insisted.

"Let me know where the after party is, I'll join you there instead?" Harvey suggested. As much as he wanted to see Charlie walk across the stage and collect his degree, he didn't want to cause any drama, not at Charlie's graduation.

"Yeah, okay. I guess I'll have to settle for that."

The only thing Harvey ever wanted to be wrong about was Charlie's ability to convince their parents about Harvey's sexuality. Of course, like with everything else, Harvey wasn't wrong.

* * *

When Mike finally called, it was close to lunch the next day. If anyone asked, Harvey would deny until his last breath that he had been checking his phone since he woke up that morning, waiting for the phone call.

"Hey. You asked me to call, I'm calling."

Mike sounded like he was about to fall asleep right then and there and Harvey said as much. Before Harvey could think about it, he was already putting on his coat and had his car keys in his hands.

"If you can hold off passing out for another twenty minutes, go take a shower or something, I'll pick you up," Harvey said, already on his way out the door.

It took Harvey just under twenty minutes to arrive at the hospital, a quick text and Mike was meeting him at the visitor's entrance.

"'This could be the beginning of the ultimate contagium,'" Harvey quoted as Mike got in the front passenger seat, tossing a small duffle bag he carried onto the backseat before putting on his seat belt.

Mike pulled Harvey in for a quick kiss in greeting, then blinked at him. " _Day of the Dead_? Never pegged you for a zombie fan."

"You must be tired. That was _Day of the Dead_ Two," Harvey corrected, pulling out into traffic. "And you look like one."

"Feel like one, too," Mike replied, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. "Don't let me fall asleep now, because if I do, you'll have to carry me out of this car and into my apartment."

"I'm driving. What am I supposed to do to stop you?" Harvey replied. "I'd ask you how your day was, but I think I have a pretty good idea. The news said there were over 200 people injured in the crash?"

"And we got 128 of them, the majority suffering level one trauma. Lost three even before they got to us," Mike made an effort to sit up straight and opened his eyes again. "Four children below ten are either in the O.R. as we speak or in ICU fighting for their lives, I'm not even sure where their parents are to be honest. It's been utter chaos."

Mike's usual cheer and optimism were absent, but considering the night that he'd had and the fact that he's been awake for at least 36 hours if not more, Harvey wasn't too worried. "You gave them a fighting chance, the rest is up to them."

"And God?"

"You mean the surgeons?" Harvey quipped and was pleased to hear an amused snort from Mike.

"Yeah, they're one and the same," Mike replied. "Oh dude, I am beyond tired. I can't believe I used to be able to pull 60 hour shifts on nothing but Red Bull and doughnuts," Mike rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Must be what growing old feels like."

"Watch it, junior," Harvey warned, but his tone was light-hearted. "I'm still fully capable of going 48 hours without sleep if the situation calls for it. Of course, I start hallucinating at hour 46, but that's beside the point."

Mike let out a tired sounding laugh. "Thanks for picking me up," Mike said as Harvey made a left turn and found a parking spot across the street from Mike's apartment.

"Come on, let's get you home."

Mike had basically mumbled "Make yourself at home" to Harvey before he faceplanted on his bed and passed out on top of the covers the moment he got home, still completely dressed.

Harvey stood by Mike's bedroom door, watching the other man sleep before he walked into the room to remove Mike's shoes. The scrubs Mike was wearing looked comfortable enough, so Harvey merely tugged the covers out from underneath Mike and tucked him in. Harvey couldn't help running his hand through Mike's hair, still slightly damp from his shower at the hospital.

"Sweet dreams, Mike," Harvey whispered, wondering how the sight of a sleeping Mike could make him feel...content.

* * *

"Have you heard?" Donna practically leaped out of her chair and followed Harvey into his office the moment he arrived at work on Monday.

"Donna, I literally just stepped into my office. What is it that I've supposed to have heard?"

"Oh, nothing," Donna replied in a tone that definitely suggested something. "How was your weekend?"

"Relaxing," Harvey replied, eyeing Donna suspiciously. He set his briefcase down, made himself comfortable in his chair and waited.

"With... Mike?" And there was it, just as Harvey had expected.

"Out with it, Donna," Harvey said impatiently. He wasn't normally prone to office gossips, but had learned the hard way early on that when it came to gossips about him, he better pay attention and get damage control in place if necessary.

"They're saying that Mike left halfway through dessert because his carriage might've turned into a pumpkin otherwise."

"They?"

"Paralegals, support staff, associates, everyone," Donna rattled off, standing in front of Harvey's desk. "Basically, he's too young and pretty to be who you said he is, especially given your history with young, pretty things. He left halfway through so he didn't have to answer unwanted questions."

Harvey couldn't believe what he was hearing. "I should fire the whole lot of them."

"For gossiping about your boyfriend?" Donna asked, surprised.

"For failing research 101! A simple Google search would've turned up the residency program profile page at NYP with his name and photo on it. If they're missing something this obvious, what else are they missing when I tell them to dig up dirt about the opposition?"

"Isn't that what you have Vanessa for?"

"Not the point."

"Seriously Harvey," Donna frowned at him in obvious confusion over Harvey's reaction. "It's office gossip, a pretty harmless one at that. Never seen you react this way before. You didn't seem to care last year when they speculated about what's her name you brought to the mid-year function."

"Francyne, with a 'y'," Harvey supplied.

"Yeah, whatever, her," Donna waved her hand dismissively. "You didn't give a damn what they said the next day. So what's the difference?"

Harvey really didn't want to talk to Donna about his personal life, but he'd also known Donna long enough to know that she was unlikely to give up and she would make his life hell if he didn't give her something after brushing her off on Friday night. She would probably just end up trying to find out herself and god knows what else she'd uncover in her search or what crazy theories she would come up with. Besides, it wasn't as though she didn't already have all the information she needed to put everything together, all Harvey needed to do was give her a hint.

"Francyne was my date for that evening, we had a good time, and that was it," Harvey said.

"And Doctor Mike is...Oh!" Donna seemed stunned. "I think I need to sit down," It was a few seconds before she continued in a lowered voice. "Oh my god, you've been seeing him for the last six months!"

"To be honest, Donna. I thought you'd have put it together quicker than this. I'm disappointed," Harvey smirked, the fact that he'd managed to stun Donna so completely was rather satisfying.

"You don't _do_ relationships! Forgive me if I never thought to take that into account!" Donna paused, glaring at Harvey as though Harvey had done something terrible. "It's serious then." It was more of a statement than a question.

"I'm meeting his grandmother for Christmas lunch."

Donna cocked her head and considered Harvey. "Yep. Scotty definitely broke you with her last stunt," she finally concluded before she stood up and headed back to her desk.

Harvey wasn't about to tell her that he'd met Mike before the whole debacle with Scotty started. If that mistaken belief would keep Donna off his back, Harvey was more than happy to let her continue with it.

* * *

It was six weeks into the New Year before Mike had another three consecutive days off work. Day one happened to be a Friday and Harvey was taking advantage of the situation by having Mike come to his part of town for lunch. Of course, Harvey's phone chose to ring just before he was due to meet Mike in the lobby of _Pearson Hardman_.

 _On phone with long winded but important client. Might take a while. Come on up._ Harvey sent a text to Mike in between reassuring Ms Consunsky that yes, they were doing everything they could to take care of her matter.

Harvey was still on the phone by the time Donna had collected Mike from reception and brought him to Harvey's office. It worried Harvey slightly to see a calculating gleam in Donna's eyes, but Mike seemed happy enough to be chatting with her after giving Harvey a wave through the open door.

Ten minutes later, Ms Consunsky was still going on about how everyone wanted her business and Harvey was really starting to think she might be suffering from some form of paranoid delusion when there was a panicked cry for help. It had sounded like Harold. Both Donna and Mike looked up from god knows what they were looking at on Donna's computer screen and rushed towards the level 50 kitchen area.

"Ms Consunsky, I'm more than happy to address any other concerns you may have, but I'll have to call you back later. I'm running late for my next appointment." Harvey hung up as quickly as he could without appearing rude or dismissive and followed Donna and Mike.

"Louis, where's your epi-pen?" Harvey heard Mike ask even before he could make his way through the crowd of associates and support staff around the kitchen. The crowd parted automatically once they noticed a Senior Partner among their midst to allow Harvey through.

Louis was lying on the kitchen floor, tie and jacket undone, his face an unnatural shade of red and lips swollen as he struggled for breath. Mike was beside him, hands urgently going through Louis's pockets before he found what he was looking for. Harvey couldn't help but wince when Mike stabbed the epi pen into Louis's thigh and injected the drugs.

Donna was on her cell phone, presumably having the wits to call 911 while everyone else stood around and gaped.

"Where's the first aid kit?" Mike asked, looking up at the crowd. Harvey was pleased to note that it was Harold who hurried over to the counter and grab the kit next to the sandwich toaster. "Louis, are you feeling any better?" Mike asked, opening the kit and rummaging through it for what he needed. "Breathing getting any easier?" Mike asked, calm and collected, clearly in his element.

Louis shook his head, his face getting redder. It was obvious even to Harvey that Louis was finding it harder and harder to breathe.

"Your tongue is swollen, and it's looking like your throat is doing the same," Mike had grabbed the penlight from the first aid kit and was checking Louis's airway. Somewhere along the way, he had put on a pair of latex gloves. "The epi should've slowed it down at least, but it's not looking like it was a high enough dose if you're not feeling at least some difference."

Louis's eyes widened in alarm even as he struggled to draw in more oxygen.

"Everyone except Donna, clear out," Harvey ordered. This was a medical emergency, not a circus sideshow. Even Louis deserved some privacy under such circumstances. Harvey was also pleased to see Mike looking up at him and mouthing a quiet 'thanks'. There were still a few of them lingering near the doorway, but at least they weren't crowding the kitchen.

"Don't panic Louis, you're going to be fine, trust me, I'm the doctor," Mike reassured and Harvey had to stop himself from laughing inappropriately at Mike's reference to _Doctor Who_ , of all things. Given Harvey's own experience with Dr Mike Ross at the ER, it seemed like making obscure television and movie reference was part of his professional M.O. "Donna, are you still on the phone with dispatch?" Mike asked.

Donna nodded. "They're about ten minutes out."

"Can you put them on speaker?"

"Hold on, I'm putting you on speaker," Donna said to the 911 operator on the line.

"Dispatch, this is Dr Mike Ross from NYP Columbia ER. Patient in anaphylaxis after ingestion of unknown quantity of peanuts. Severe airway obstruction after .15mg epi dose via subcutaneous injection. Confirm of angioedema and likely mucosal endema as well," Mike rattled off to the operator.

It was then that Louis started to really panic, wheezing even as his hands clutched desperately at Mike's.

"Dispatch, make that confirmed mucosal endema!" Mike grabbed the penlight again and shone it into Louis's mouth. "Tongue has completely swollen, I can't intubate him even if I have the equipment."

"EMT are still seven minutes away, doc." Dispatch said over the tiny phone speaker.

"He's going hypoxic, he doesn't have seven minutes!" Mike said urgently, looking up around the kitchen. "Harvey, get me the fruit knife." Mike ordered, and Harvey grabbed the small knife drying next to the sink and passed it to Mike.

"Dispatch, I'm going to attempt an emergency tracheotomy," Mike said, grabbing some alcohol wipes and using it to sterilize the knife as best as he could. Harvey was almost glad to see that Louis had passed out by this point because from what Harvey could tell, Louis really didn't want to be awake for the next bit.

"Harvey, can you find me a straw, or a ballpoint pen, or some sort of small plastic tube?"

"Right, straws." Harvey replied, going through the various drawers and cupboards. "Do we even have straws around here?! Someone grab a pen," Harvey finally turned to the small crowd of onlookers still standing just outside the kitchen. He had left his jacket with the pen in the jacket pocket back in his office.

"I think I might have something, Harvey, hold the phone," Donna said, passing her phone to Harvey as she ran out of the kitchen back to her desk. She was back less than a minute later with something clutched in her hands. "Would this do?" She handed over whatever it was she had to Mike.

"Tampons?" Mike said as he had a good look at the package. "Right, the application tube, that should work. Dispatch, ETA?" Mike asked even as he opened up the pack and disassembled the tampon to get to the parts he needed.

"Still five minutes away," Dispatch replied.

"I have to go in. He's not going to last otherwise, not without permanent brain damage."

"I'm going to go downstairs to wait for the paramedic," Donna said.

Harvey nodded, looking away as Mike made a horizontal cut into Louis's throat right beneath his Adam's apple.

"Harvey, get me the adhesive tape," Mike said, and Harvey had no choice but to look. Mike had his left index finger in what seemed like halfway in Louis's throat and was working to get the plastic tube in with his right hand. When that was in place, Mike breathed into the tube repeatedly every few seconds until Harvey saw Louis's chest start moving on its own. There was a lot less blood than Harvey expected from a cut that size.

"Dispatch, I have good breath sound and looks like he might be coming around," Mike reported, his right ear pressed against Louis's chest, listening. Taking the roll of tape from Harvey, Mike tore off two strips to secure the tube in Louis's throat.

"I've alerted the EMTs, and they should be there in a couple of minutes. Good work, doc," Dispatch replied.

"Yeah, I can't even get a day off without something like this happening," Mike replied jokingly and Harvey felt himself relax. If Mike was cracking jokes, then Louis was probably going to be all right.

"Right, EMTs are on site and on their way to you."

"Thanks, Dispatch. I can take it from here."

"Have a good day, doc."

Harvey hung up and pocketed Donna's cell. He could hear rapid footsteps approaching and Donna came through the kitchen with the paramedics right behind her.

"What's going on?" Harvey looked up to see Jessica standing by the kitchen entrance looking flummoxed at the scene before her.

"Louis had a severe allergic reaction to something he ate," Harvey explained. "Mike saved his life." From the corner of his eyes, he could see the paramedics starting an IV line and Mike busy injecting various drugs into the line. Their brief exchange seemed to indicate that Mike knew the paramedics.

"Ms Pearson, you might want to get in touch with Louis's next of kin. He's going to be in the hospital for at least a few days." Mike said as the paramedics lifted Louis up onto the gurney. "I haven't seen a food allergy reaction this bad for years."

"Mike, you riding along?" asked one of the paramedics.

"Yeah. Weill Cornell?"

"It's the closest," the same paramedic replied.

"Harvey, meet me there?"

"Yeah, I'll see you there." Harvey managed a reply before Mike was out of the door with the paramedics and Louis.

There goes their lunch plans, though the incident should put to rest the rumours around the firm about Mike's real qualifications. Harvey just wished it hadn't involved Louis Litt almost getting killed by peanuts.

* * *

It was Friday evening, and Harvey was at the office at 9pm, waiting for Mike to get off a double shift. With both of their careers and schedules, it had been a struggle to actually see each other more than a couple of times a week. Harvey have had to cut down on his after work networking activities, and Mike have had to slowly and stealthily reorganise the ER's roster so his shifts fitted better with Harvey's schedule.

Of course, it didn't help that Mike was due to sit his board certification exam in a few months. And despite the fact that the oral examination wasn't due to take place until at least the year after, Mike had started panicking about it, which lead to increasing amounts of study sessions on top of his 60 to 80 hour work week.

"Don't you think it's a bit premature to be panicking right now? You still have to actually finish your residency program and then pass the written component first," Harvey had asked. They were at Harvey's place and Mike had taken over the living room with various textbooks and copies of files spread out all around him while he sat on the carpeted floor, a pen in his hand and a highlighter stuck behind his ear. The scene was not unlike the numerous occasions when Harvey brought work home while under tight deadlines.

"I'm not worried about the written component. I've never encountered a written exam that I haven't been able to pass with flying colours, it's the oral exam I'm worried about."

"Isn't that just a role play scenario?" Harvey asked. He was sitting on the couch, half paying attention to the baseball game playing on the television. "How's that different from what you do every day?"

Mike stopped scanning the page in front of him and looked up at Harvey. "You looked up the exam formats for the ABEM."

Harvey shrugged, "At least I didn't register to sit the exam."

"Oh my god, I can't believe you still haven't got over the fact that I passed the Bar exam!"

"How much did you score anyway?" Harvey couldn't help but ask.

"Uh...800 overall."

"Are you _kidding me_?! You only need what? 675 to pass? You do realise this is getting ridiculous?" Harvey asked.

"You want to see my result letter? What was your score? You didn't get lower than 800, did you?" Mike put his pen aside, getting into the conversation.

"Of course not, but 800?! Without even going to law school? You are utterly ridiculous."

"Yes, we've established that counselor; now tell me how you did. Unless you scored lower than I did, then I might just have to rethink about dating someone below my clearly superior level of intelligence."

"Dating below your..." Harvey growled and got off the couch, standing over Mike who was still sitting on the floor, head tilted up to look at Harvey with a teasing smile. Harvey extended a hand, which Mike accepted and Harvey hauled the younger man to his feet. "You smug bastard," Harvey said, pulling Mike in for a kiss. "For the record, I scored 890, top of my year." And to stop Mike from any further one-upmanship or just talking back in general, Harvey shoved his hand down Mike's pants and his tongue down Mike's throat. As far as Harvey could tell, it was a foolproof strategy to make Mike stop talking, and to stop thinking in general.

Harvey smirked at the memory, studying was the last thing on Mike's mind by the time Harvey was done with him that night. Though, now that Mike had officially completed his residency and was only moonlighting at the hospital until he sat and passed his board examination, his hours had become a bit more flexible and civilised.

Harvey was contemplating whether it was worth getting started on a draft of Donaldson's new corporate constitution when his phone rang.

"Harvey Specter," he answered.

"Still at work, Harvey?" Charlie's voice greeted him. "What time is it in New York? Quarter pass nine? On a Friday night?"

"Yeah, I've been sitting here, waiting for you to call."

"Funny. Seriously though, Harvey. No plans for a Friday night? That's not like you."

"I have plans. My plans don't get off work until 10. I was planning to leave at 9:30 to pick him up and have a late dinner." Harvey replied.

"Must be some special plans if you're willing to wait," Charlie teased.

"Charles, you didn't just call me all the way from Shanghai to discuss my social life."

"No. Wanted to tell you that Janice and I are moving back to New York in the next month, and... uh... I have a favour to ask. Do you think Janice and I can stay with you for a few days until we find a place? I know we'll be basically throwing a spanner in the works that's your social life, but it's just going to be a few days until – "

"Charlie, it's fine. I have a guest room with a very comfortable bed and more than enough space."

"Okay," Charlie replied, sounding a little taken aback. "That was way too easy."

"What? You were expecting me to say no?"

"I was expecting some negotiation and quid pro quo, yes. So, who are you and what have you done to my brother?"

"Charlie – "

"Really, Harvey, what's up? You were practically mellow when I spoke to you on Christmas, but I thought that was because you just got laid, and now this."

"I did just get laid when you called on Christmas."

"Knew it!" Charlie cheered.

"Probably should've told you then, actually."

"Told me what?"

"That I'm seeing someone," Harvey admitted.

"Seeing someone as in a proper, real, long term relationship?" Charlie asked, sounding as though he wasn't quite sure he was hearing Harvey right.

"Yes. Is it that hard to believe that I am capable of an actual, long term, committed relationship?" Harvey huffed in annoyance.

"Is this the same 'him' that you're picking up at 10?"

"Yes."

"And what does he do for a living that he doesn't get off work until 10?" Charlie asked, his tone implying something that made Harvey distinctively uncomfortable.

"Just what are you implying, Charlie?" Harvey asked, and if he sounded a little defensive, well, he was getting tired of people making assumptions about Mike just because Harvey's previous taste in bed companion didn't usually come with much of a brain.

"Nothing! Just that you're a rich and successful big shot lawyer worth millions and there are plenty of gold diggers out there. I'm just trying to look out for my brother."

Harvey sighed. "Sorry. I'm just getting tired of people making assumptions about Mike when they don't know the first thing about him."

"Mike. That name does not inspire confidence in me. Sounds like the name of a... waiter or the cashier at the local grocery."

"That's Dr Michael Ross to you, punk." Harvey made an effort to lighten his tone. "He's a doctor at NewYork Presbyterian and they're appointing him as attending physician as soon as he passes his board certification, which he no doubt will because he's a genius."

There was silence on the other end of the phone, and for a moment, Harvey wondered if there was something wrong with the phone connection.

"Harvey, you are utterly head over heels for this doctor, aren't you?" Charlie finally said.

"I... Yeah," Harvey admitted, his eyes automatically drawn towards the abstract snail cufflink on his right sleeve, the small diamond at the centre twinkling under the office light. "We just celebrated our one year anniversary a couple months ago."

"One _year_?! And you didn't tell me about him until _now_?!"

"Hey, it's not like we're in the habit of talking about our personal lives, you call twice a year at most and I was legitimately distracted over Christmas. You didn't bother telling me you were moving to China until you'd been there for nine months!"

"Right, fine. There was that," Charlie admitted.

"I'll introduce you to Mike when you get back."

"Yeah... you said he works at NewYork Presbyterian? You think he might know a good obstetrician?"

"He might. Why?" Harvey asked.

"Janice's three months pregnant."

"Wow, congratulations. And when were you going to tell me that piece of news? At your kid's first birthday? And you had the gall of accusing me of not telling you about Mike."

Charlie laughed. "Yeah, we kinda suck at the communication thing don't we?"

"Mum and Dad know yet?" Harvey asked. Neither of them liked to bring up the topic of their parents, but as much as Harvey didn't like it, having the first grandchild was a big deal.

Over the years, Charlie's relationship with their parents had slowly deteriorated. After having 'lost' Harvey, their parents had tried to exert more control over their youngest, which only drove Charlie farther away. The fact that Charlie never stopped trying to change their mind about Harvey didn't help either.

Eventually, Charlie got tired of their parents' endless meddling and he ended up at a multi national engineering firm, moving overseas to head up various engineering projects in developing nations. Janice, who loved traveling, couldn't be happier following her husband all over the world, picking up English teaching jobs whenever she could.

"No. The last thing Janice and I need right now is drama, and you know the moment I tell them, there will be Drama." Harvey could practically hear the capital 'D' in Charlie's voice. "I just want to come home, settle back down a bit before letting them know. I can really do without mum and dad criticising and trying to take over everything."

Harvey let out a sigh. "Yeah, I understand." He looked at the time on the phone display, 9:42PM. "Listen Charlie, I have to go or I'll be late. Email me your arrival details and I'll pick you up from the airport or send someone if I can't make it."

"Yeah, yeah, go see your boyfriend."

It was five minutes pass ten by the time Harvey made it to the hospital and the sight of Mike waiting for him had grown to be familiar, comforting. Not for the first time, Harvey silently thanked Ray for dragging him into this exact ER over a year ago and bringing Mike into his life.

"What are you smiling about?" Mike asked, buckling his seatbelt, and Harvey suddenly didn't feel like going out for dinner and sharing Mike's attention with the rest of the world.

"You," Harvey answered, clearly surprising Mike with his honesty.

"Someone's in a mood tonight," Mike teased, returning Harvey's smile. "I feel like having pizza. Let's go home and order in."

"Yeah," Harvey replied, pulling out into traffic, still somehow surprised that Mike had easily picked up on Harvey's mood. Harvey had since learned that he really didn't mind surprises when they were related to Mike. "Home sounds perfect."

The End


End file.
